CSG

CSG were founded in 1934. Remaining a family-owned business to this day, they are recognised as one of the UK’s leading suppliers of specialist waste management solutions, offering a diverse range of services to householders and businesses nationwide. Their transportation network enables the collection of hazardous and non-hazardous waste streams while their treatment and recovery centres utilise bespoke technology to treat, recover and recycle the waste collected. With a renewed purpose, vision, mission and redefined values, Glorious was tasked with evolving the CSG brand, bringing greater clarity, cohesion, and consistency to their visual identity, marketing and communications.

Trawling the archives for inspiration we wanted the brand mark to take influence from previous iterations, blending heritage with modernity to craft a simple bold logo. The existing brand mark was poorly drawn and suffered from a degree of illegibility. In order to address the issue and to deliver greater consistency to the letterform and inter-character spacing, we constructed a baseline grid to initially create the brand mark – but which eventually extended into an entire graphic language. The circle was intended to hint at the circular economy – a system designed to keep resources in use for as long as possible, minimising waste and maximising resource utilisation. The shape was subsequently woven into a set of pictograms and utilised to develop a wide range of assets, creating a cohesive and distinctive graphic language that could be applied across various communications and marketing materials.

Working closely with the CSG team, we investigated attributes that differentiated the company from its closest competitors. The exercise enabled us to identify and construct a brand strapline to communicate the company’s intent, clearly stating the direction of travel in a single, simple three-word statement. ‘Going beyond waste’ optimises an ongoing commitment to tackle waste in a sustainable and more effective manner. It was agreed that the general tone of voice should remain friendly and direct, while the narrative around services, products, and attributes was strengthened by taking direct influence from the recently completed strategic brand review. As CSG has such an enviable heritage that combines with ground-breaking innovation and outstanding customer service, we recommended that the company walk and talk like the market leader – a positioning that is difficult to challenge, given their unquestionable credentials.

The circle, a highly versatile form, is utilised to draw interest, provide focus and add dynamism to layouts and various elements of content. Our ultimate aim was to ‘bring to life’ information that could be perceived as dull or uninspiring. Using graphic treatments that visually command attention, we are able to reinforce important messages, highlight key information and promote core themes. This simple device was effectively applied to assets as varied as digital display ads, through to articulated vehicles and everything in between. In addition, we revisited the corporate font, along with primary and secondary colour palettes, to bring further order and consistency to corporate assets, such as signage and staff uniforms.

To align internal documents with external-facing collateral and to ensure that communications across departments adhere to the agreed design principles and standards, we created a series of templates that drive consistency across a suite of documents. Utilising formalised layout grid systems, we are able to carefully address and inform page structure information hierarchy and enable the consistent application of all text and image content. These documents were created to remove unnecessary design decisions and promote ease of use so that colleagues are more inclined to adopt them – rather than creating their own versions. Ultimately, the templates remove the temptation for users to get ‘overly creative’ thereby protecting the integrity of the evolved CSG brand.